Benedict Cumberbatch announced as surprise guest on The Graham Norton Show

The actor will appear on the programme next Friday

Benedict Cumberbatch appears in The Imitation Game (Getty Images)

Benedict Cumberbatch has been announced as a last-minute addition to Graham Norton’s sofa next week.

The Sherlock actor will be joining fellow actor Timothy Spall, comedienne Miranda Hart and Maroon 5 on the Friday night chat show.

Cumberbatch is set to discuss his role as British code-breaker Alan Turing in Second World War drama The Imitation Game.

He has been tipped to win an Oscar for his performance as the mathematical genius, who lives with the pressure of hiding his sexuality at a time when homosexuality was criminalised.

Despite helping to defeat the Nazis, Turing was eventually prosecuted after being caught with a 19-year-old man in 1952.

The film has attracted criticism for not including overt gay sex scenes, but Cumberbatch recently defended the omission.

“If you need to see that to understand that he's gay, then all is lost for any kind of subtle storytelling,” he told The Wrap.

Maroon 5 may also find themselves responding to criticism after the video for their latest single "Animals" was condemned for promoting violence against women.

Benedict Cumberbatch will appear on The Graham Norton Show on BBC One at 10.35pm on Friday 24 October.